AntarcticaThwaites Glacier loses ice for 150 years even without ocean melt.
Its full collapse would raise sea level 5 metres by unlocking West Antarctica’s ice sheet.
Researchers switched off all ocean melting in 3 models, and Thwaites still lost ice, though more slowly.
“We haven’t crossed the point of no return,” said Mattieu Morlighem of Dartmouth College.
Lead author Rosie Williams is now modelling realistic ocean temperatures, and a second study suggests double the projected sea-level rise.
How each outlet framed it
drawn from 10+ reports worldwide
- New Scientist leans critical
- reports a model experiment turning off all ocean melting, showing Thwaites loses ice for at least 150 years regardless
Sources: New Scientist